Delegation can be the most important management tool that you use. Good delegation can save you invaluable time, motivate your employees and help them develop to the benefit of your business. Poor delegation can cause frustration, act as a de-motivator and confuse people. It is clear that, used effectively; delegating can be of huge positive influence to your company, however, when it is not developed adequately, delegation, as a management tool, may have adverse effects on a business.
Successful delegation needs planning, thought and managerial skill. The following guidelines may help you plan your delegation process effectively.
Delegation is a far cry from just telling people what to do. There is a wide rang a varying freedom that delegation can give people. The more experienced and reliable the person, the more freedom they can have. The more critical a task, the more cautious you as a manager must be when delegating.
There is no delegation in telling an employee to follow instructions precisely.
Joint decisions allow more delegation, an employee can look into an issue and manager and employee can decide course of action together
Complete delegation comes when a manager instructs an employee to decide and take action on task and to let him/her know what happens. Or passing over the area to the employee fully and giving them full responsibility.
Benefits of delegation include:
Those who don’t delegate:
Where delegation can go wrong
Done correctly, delegation can be immensely beneficial to a company. However, improper and poorly planned delegation can have negative effects such as reduced productivity, lack of quality and frustration. By following the points outlined above, managers can help themselves avoid common pitfalls and free up time for other activities to improve their business. Delegation can be of major benefit to a company when used correctly. It is a management tool that should be utilised and acted upon in order for managers to gain the best results from their businesses and their employees.